Sunday, August 1, 2021
The Loincloth and the Wineflask
This wicked people who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, and follow strange gods to serve and adore them, shall be like this loincloth that is good for nothing. For as the loincloth clings to the main’s loins, so had I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord; to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty. But they did not listen to me.
Today we are presented with this image that indicates the level of intimacy God expects to experience with us. The faithful are so close to God that they share in God’s goodness and are worthy of praise. The faithful are a beautiful part of God’s plan. They are the Children of God.
Every wineflask is meant to be filled with wine . . . Can the Ethiopian change his skin? The leopard his spots?
God says: Your destiny is to live life fully as my precious, lovely children. When I say that you are meant to cling to me I do not look to demean you; rather, I look to glorify you just as you glorify me. When you act in the ways that my son shows to you, you become one with me. When you turn away to follow your little, demeaning gods, you walk away from this beauty, goodness, renown and glory. Come! Follow me! I want to bring you home to this most safe, most intimate, most loving of places. Allow me to heal and counsel you. Permit me to guide and protect you. Soften your hearts, unbend your necks, and come home to the one who wants to lift you in body, mind and spirit.
The people who listen to Jeremiah’s prophecy turn away from these words; they draw away from God’s work of ministering to those on the margins and focus instead on the accumulation of wealth, comfort and goods.
What do we choose to do today?
To meditate on Jeremiah Chapters 11, 12, 13, enter the words The Infinity of True Happiness into the blog search bar and explore.
To explore more artifacts of the ancient world, click on the image of the wine flask above and follow links, or go to: http://theancientworld.tumblr.com/post/16764938939/wine-flask-bianhu-with-geometric-decoration-ca
For another reflection on Jeremiah 13, click on the image of the loincloth above or go to: http://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/1078-jeremiah-13/
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